Hernando County- Six year old Sammy Huett has been fighting for his life, after being diagnosed with Bilateral Wilms’ Tumor, a rare kidney cancer primarily found in children. Although it has been a very difficult journey for the family, parents Brandy and Robert do their best to not let Sammy see the pain and worry they experience. Sammy’s constant smile and energy for life has been key in helping the family get through this trying time. With his love of funny hats and glasses, his lighthearted nature not only keeps a smile on his parents’ faces, but he is such a blessing to his six siblings, Elysa, Katelyn, Christopher, Hunter, Riley and Ben as well as his nephew, Mason.
Sammy may be battling a difficult disease, but he is still just a little boy. Some of his favorite things to do is play with his growing Hot Wheels collection, play video games and drive his Power Wheels truck and most of all spend time with his dog, Rocky. Despite everything he has to endure, he always has a smile and a hug for those who need it.
Although the disease most likely occurs in children age 3-4, it is much less common for a diagnosis after age 5. The cancer most often occurs in one kidney but 5 % of children with Wilms’ has bilateral disease, which is cancer in both kidneys. Sammy has had 12 weeks of chemotherapy before having a partial nephrectomy in late November but pathology still showed live cells and the decision was made to remove the rest of his kidneys in early December. The family also recently discovered that it was Anaplastic Wilms, which means the look of cancer cells vary widely and the cells’ nuclei (DNA center) is large and distorted. The more anaplasia a tumor has, the harder it is to cure.
Now, Sammy is living without both of his kidneys and has to attend dialysis three times a week for the next 3-5 years to be eligible to receive a new kidney. Also in his treatment plan, he will receive 23 more weeks of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Due to such aggressive treatment, he has been unable to attend school and has a teacher come to the home. The family is hoping Sammy will be able to participate sometime in March in Childrens’ Dream Fund, an organization that fulfills the dreams of children who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.
Due to the rarity of this childhood cancer, so few doctors have extensive experience in treating it and travel is often necessary. Due to the mounting medical bills, travel costs and hospital stays, there is a Go Fund Me account set up to help Sammy and his family get the best treatment possible and minimize the financial stress they endure. If you would like to make a contribution to this fund and help make a difference in the life of a child, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/joinsamsfight
The Huett’s stress how amazing his doctors have been and Sammy seems to have the nurses wrapped around his little finger. He loves his oncology team at All Childrens’ Hospital, which consists of Dr. Gregory Hale and Dr. Jessica Wishnew , pediatric surgeon Dr. Nebbie Walford, pediatrician Dr. Rizwan Qureshi from Suncoast Pediatric Care, the Pediatric Nephrology team of Dr. Frank Ayestaran Cassani and Dr. Francisco Flores as well as his dialysis nurses. It truly does require a village to stand together in this fight.
Kevin’s Way Station, a local bar and grill located at 14445 Ponce De Leon Blvd in Brooksville, recently held a benefit for the family which has been extremely helpful and the family greatly appreciated.
“Sammy is a happy boy and such a great kid,” Kevin Moro stated when asked why he decided to hold a benefit for the Huett family. “People need to help other people in our own neighborhoods. Step up to the plate and help people in your own backyard”. He went on to add that almost everyone has had a person they care about affected by cancer and it’s important to do what we can to make a difference. He asked people to check back with the bar and grill as they are looking to hold another benefit in the near future.
The best way the community can help children like Sammy is to not only keep them in your thoughts and prayers, but to hold benefits to help raise money for treatment and research, contribute and/or share the child’s Go Fund Me link and help spread awareness about childhood cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, Wilms’ is very rare, but common in children and curable if found early. Wilms’ is usually detected after the tumors have become quite large and symptoms then appear, such as swelling of the abdomen. This makes it very difficult to detect early. Ultrasounds could detect early on, but it is impractical to use as a screening tool in otherwise healthy children that don’t have symptoms. While rare, it may run in families and it has been suggested that regular ultrasounds be performed in those situations as well as children born with other syndromes or birth defects.
What is needed is more research and clinical trials to develop more effective treatment methods such as new chemotherapy drugs, especially in the area of Wilms’ Tumor with unfavorable histology. The National Wilms’ Tumor Study Group, now part of Childrens’ Oncology Group, has been largely responsible for the progress made in the treatment and cure rate of this disease. It is largely important to develop new ways to detect this cancer early on when cure rates are highest.